This class Prompt is really gont toe be difficult for me. I want to eventually have a weekly post that exhibts my reativity as well as sharing what I dow th all of you. However, at the present time this is a bit more that I want to bit off right now. So, this is what I have decided to do in order to add “Pattern” to my blog. I will call this series From Shanty to Chic in 12 Months”. I am hoping this will also help kee me on track in the repurposing of one of my portable storage buildlings.

I purchased thi sbuilding about 2 years ago with the intention of having a crafting studio. As you can see by the photos, once completed there will be ample space for a wonderful studio.

Well in two years all I have really accomplished is moving supplies from the house to the building and wiring the electircity. All my good intensions seem to fall by the wayside, because Iam the only interested party.

With this Patterned Blog Post I will updat everyone on my progress with this project onc a month on or near the 15th of each month. I will have photos as well as videios from time to time.

The holiday season has always been one of great excietment and anticipation in my family. In our early years it would begin the week before Halloween and last through the New Year. This time was always full of fun, laughter and we looked forward to each new day and what it would bring. Here of late though, I have really struggled to keep that alive and well not only with my sibblings but also in my heart.

My mother was the catalyst in this family ritual, and she proudly took on that title. However, she has been gone now for nearly 40 years. We lost her on December 12th. and since then my family has somewhat bestowed this honor on me. It had been difficult in the first few years after the loss of our Mother, then on Christmas Eve 1979, we were given the news of the passing of our Father.

Over the years I feel I have done my best to keep my Mother’s delight in the season and do share that joy with my sibling and children, trying to pass on the tradition and excitement as best I could.

Last year though just about broke me. My nephew was found dead on Christmas Eve, my yougest brother’s only child. Although as a family we have pulled together for support it has been so very difficult. And of course this brings floods of the memories of out great losses in the past.

Over the years I have always had a mood shift about December 12th and it would last through the New Year. Although, I felt I have always done a very good job of not revealing this to my family, yesterday my husband annouced that he had always felt there was a deep sadness in me during the Holidays. This year however, this derpression is rapidly approaching and much sooner than in years past. I believe this is because of my distance from those that I love so much, and this year more than in past years I want so much to be with them during the Holidays.

I will however, this holiday season as I have in others, have my Mother at the forefront of my thoughts and hopefully her memory will give me the strength I need to pull me up from this darkness and help my siblings do the same. Who knows I may find a way to get back home, if even for a 2 day break.

I am so disgusted with how much money my husband and I spend in a month for the needless things in life. Don’t get me wrong it is a wonderful feeling to have the money to buy what you want; however, I do believe we could be a bit more conscience of our spending. With that in mind, I wanted to document my plan to keep more cash on hand and in my bank account. Firstly, my goal is to build finish the building of my much needed crafting studio. I plan to keep back $100.00 per pay check, we receive 6 or 7 paychecks per month. This could get my studio completed within 2 months (as long as I stick to my guns).

It was a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon, we had an ingagement at the Community Center in Luverne. Today was the Johnson family reunion, and I had been up early this morning preparing my newest delight of my husband’s “Lemon Refrigerator Pie”. I had just recently learned how to make this pie to his liking. He wanted me to share his new delight with his family of course. They turned out wonderful, refreshing and the rage of the family gathering. To my surprise there was only one sliver left from two full pies.

This was not in the least the highlight of my day though. It was the meeting of my daughters new bough and what conversation with husband transpired soon after the meeting. A very nice young man Scotty is, polite, respectful and he too has an adorable 8 year old son. Understand, I did not find out about this conversation until we two my husband and I were at home later in the evening discussing the day’s events.

My husband begins the conversation with the fact the he is actually impressed with Scotty, and believes him to be the best choice our daught has made today. I then become very suspicious as he had not cared for any young man that comes calling for his daughter, and imagine she is 28 years of age. I then ask, what is it about Scotty that impresses you so? He proceeds to tell me how poilitely he approached him and asked for his permission to date his daughter (however, we both know that they have been dating for a couple of weeks already), and that Scotty has said how much he cares for our daughter. Then came the most important part. Seems Scotty has offered to purchase a ticket for my husband to attend the Ironbowl game this with him this Thanksgiving Day. If you are not from the South, let me enlighten you.

Here in Alabama there are two football teams that of Alabama and that of Auburn. The state is about split in half with fans. They are die hard fans. The Ironbowl game is the grudge match between these two colleges, and my husband has begged me for years to get him a ticket to this game. The expense is prohitive in my mind, however, not so with Scotty. So you see football has become the decision maker for my husband, and apparently our daughter has forwarned her bough and they desicively planned this entire conversation.

Anyway, my husband will be joining them in Tuscoloosa for the Ironbowl and I will be staying home watching it on the television. I prefer profession football and the 49ers to college ball.

I know I have missed a few days, unfortunately my life got in the way. So now I continue with the class Blogging for Scrapbookers. Today is about favorites, and being my first post on favorites I wanted to kee with the theme and send you all on a small excursion through my favorite scrapbooking shops that are online. Here they are:

1. Club Scrap - I have been a member here for quite a few years love their papers and projects.

2. Two Peas in a Bucket - Love their shop, they have freebies every month too. Also have lots of free inspiration in their classes and events section.

3. Papertreyink – Wonderful shop, love their papers, inks and dies. You should take a look.

4. Stampin-Up - Love everything about this shop and their representatives. Lots of lovely paper, and tools, as well as loads of inspiration.

5. Scrapbook.com - Wonderful shopping experience, my go to for the latest from top designers.

So long ago I had a baby boy,
And he smiled up at me.
I blinked my eyes for just a moment,
And my baby boy was already three.

Too soon he started kindergarten.
Oh! How could I have known
That time would fly so quickly,
And my baby boy would soon be grown.

I kissed boo, boo, and played hide and seek,
Helped with his homework, kissed his sweet face.
A hug for luck, cheered baseball games.
Bought school supplies, and drove him from place to place.

Yes, once I had a sweet baby boy,
I held his tiny little hand.
Now I can proudly say,
My baby boy is a wonderful man.

If it is not obvious, these are my two boys. These pictures were all three taken at different periods in both of their lives. I wrote the poem before I built the page, but to me they seem to belong together. I without any doubt a very proud mother. I love my two boys with my entire being. There is very close to 12 years defference in their ages. Although, they are two different individuals and were only together in my life for the eight early years of the youngest’s life. They are in so many ways alike. Now that they are young adults, I see so much of the oldest in the youngest and visa versa. I feel this page expresses both the pride I have for my boys as well as the sorrow that I feel, because they are not my babies any longer.

”Using my blog as a tool for documenting life from day to day without feeling the need to be caught up in an album” Quote from Shimelle in our 1st project for the class “Blogging for Scrapbookers” . I feel this really puts my goals Succintly, with what I want to gain from taking this class. I have so many things going on in my life and so many of my loved ones are so far from me. Usually I get stories and photos via Facebook as I am not there to witness the event, however I want to capture that memory for myself as well as for that loved one. I am truly hoping that this process will enable me to write more “stories” and less “captions” for my albums. I will try my best to post every day to this blog, but I cannot promise this will be a reality.

I am an avid scrapbooker and have been for as long as I can remember. When I was but a very young girl, collecting photos and photo corners and placing them in those very old photo albums made of what is now called “kraft” paper, and then pening my comments about said photo for family members to read at a later date. Well that is basically what I do now, however the stories are in much more depth and I add so much pretty fuss to each page of my albums now.